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"What happened, Di? Is everything okay? Who texted you?" Noah asked, his voice cold as steel. His eyes darkened, a sharp glare settling on his face—with a killing intent simmering beneath.
But Yunah didn't notice. Her gaze was glued to her phone, fear and confusion swirling in her eyes. Without even acknowledging Noah, she abruptly stood up and dialed Serena's number.
"Hello… Serena?" Her voice trembled slightly in frustration as she hurried toward her room, ignoring the storm brewing right behind her.
"Di," Noah called again, stepping forward. This time his voice carried a warning edge. But Yunah—consumed by the message—didn't hear a single word. All she cared about was what she had just read.
She slipped inside her room and slammed the door shut right in Noah's face.
The air instantly plummeted in temperature.
Noah stood frozen, staring at the door as his last ounce of patience evaporated. A dangerously chilling aura seeped from him, suffocating the entire living room. His jaw clenched… then his fists. Knuckles turned bone–white from the pressure.
He leaned closer to the door, trying to catch even a fragment of Yunah's conversation. But the soundproof walls mocked him with silence.
"Damn this wall…" he hissed, his voice low—dangerously low—each syllable laced with irritation and an impending storm.
****************
Inside Yunah's Room.
"What the hell did you just text me, Serena?" Yunah burst out, voice rising with anger. "Was that supposed to be some kind of sick prank?" She rubbed her temple harshly, frustration spiking through her chest.
"No," Serena replied firmly on the other end. No hesitation. "Everything I said is true." Her tone turned even more serious. "Meena and Gaurav have been running their mouths—telling everyone your boyfriend is handsome and young. Now the entire school group expects you to bring him in our school reunion which is on Independence Day. And you know how they are… If you don't show up with him, they'll drag you for years."
"But I can't bring him!" Yunah snapped, pacing frantically across her room. "He is… he is too young—" Her voice cracked as she dropped onto the bed, burying her fingers in her hair. "I swear, I should've never started this stupid fake boyfriend nonsense. This is all on me…"
"Regretting won't fix anything," Serena shot back, but her tone softened. "He lives with you, right?"
"Hm…" Yunah hummed anxiously, chewing her lip.
"Then just ask him to help. He already agreed to go to that wedding with you. Going to a reunion isn't that big of a stretch, right?"
Yunah froze, then scowled. "Serena, are you out of your mind? He's a fake boyfriend, and he's literally a high schooler! If anyone finds out, I'll never live it down. And I'm not dragging him into my mess." She stood again, pulling lightly at her hair in stress. "Ugh! This is so f*cked up." She paused. "Are you free now?"
"…Why?" Serena asked, her confusion obvious at the sudden shift.
"Let's grab drinks," Yunah muttered, already heading toward her wardrobe.
"Drinks? DRINKS?!" Serena almost screamed. "You literally got discharged from the hospital today—have you completely lost it?! I'm not letting you do anything that stupid!"
"Stop yelling! I'm already losing my mind," Yunah groaned, pulling out a soft brown blazer with one hand while holding the phone with the other. "If not drinks, then meet me at our usual café. Please."
There was a beat of silence.
"…Fine," Serena finally sighed. "I'll meet you there."
****************
Yunah stepped out of her room, a black sling bag hanging from her shoulder, coat in hand. Noah was already waiting—slouched on the couch like a coiled predator barely leashed. The moment he saw her, he shot up and closed the distance between them in quick strides.
"What happened, Di?" His voice was low but rigid as he fell into step beside her toward the door. "Where are you going?"
Frustration and worry clashed in his tone — he hated being kept in the dark.
"I'm going out for a while," Yunah said, offering a reassuring but tense smile as she met his eyes. "Everything is fine. Something urgent came up, so I need to go. I might be late—have dinner with Yogesh, okay?" She reached for the door—
But Noah grabbed her wrist, firm, desperate.
"Don't go."
It wasn't a request — it sounded like a plea wrapped in a command. "You just got discharged. You shouldn't be running around in this condition," he continued, eyes locked on hers, gaze sharp enough to cut. His voice had turned cold… possessive.
Yunah's heart skipped — his concern warmed her, but the intensity… it was too much.
"I'm really okay," she said softly, brushing his hand free without force. "It's just a nearby café, nothing dangerous." She tried to lighten her tone. "Be good and rest. I'll put medicine on your wound once I'm back, alright?" Then she slipped out, the door shutting behind her with a quiet finality.
Moments later, Yogesh emerged from his room, dressed in a black tracksuit for his school practice. He paused mid-step — the air around Noah was freezing, suffocating. Noah stood unmoving before the closed door, fists clenched so hard his knuckles strained white. His dark eyes were fixed on the closed door as if he could burn a hole through it.
Rage simmered beneath his skin.
He hated that he let her go. Hated that she walked away from him. Hated that he didn't even know who she ran to and why...
"Whoa—bro…" Yogesh approached cautiously, eyeing Noah like one would a wild animal ready to snap. "You okay? You look like you're about to murder someone. You were fine earlier, what happened?"
"…" No response. Noah's jaw tightened as he turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets. Cold aura trailing behind him like a storm, he walked straight into his room and slammed the door shut.
"Hey!!" Yogesh called after him, but the only answer was silence. "What's his deal?" he muttered, baffled, before finally leaving for practice — still shivering from the atmosphere left behind.
**************
Inside his room, Noah ripped off his white t-shirt, revealing a flawlessly sculpted, V-shaped torso wrapped in stark white bandages. Deep, faded knife scars marked his skin — ugly reminders of battles a boy his age should never have fought. Wounds he never allowed to heal, because violence had shaped him… and was still shaping him.
He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and strode to the window. The sunlight reflected in his storm-dark eyes as he stared blankly outside the window.
"Hello," he said, voice low and lethal.
"Yes, Young Master. At your service," Ashish responded immediately, respectful and alert on the other end.
"Follow Yunah," Noah ordered, fingers tightening around the phone. "Tell me where she goes, who she meets… every word she speaks. I don't care if the detail is as small as a breath — I want to know."
Ashish took a beat before answering — Noah's tone could freeze blood.
"And Ashish…" Noah's voice dropped into something darker, dangerous enough to paralyze.
"Yes, Young Master?"
"If anyone — and I mean anyone — tries to hurt her or even stand too close to her…" His jaw clenched. "Deal with them. Properly."
"As you command."
Noah disconnected the call without another word.
He stood shirtless before the window, the ray of sunlight dancing over the scars carved into his flesh. His aura was suffocating — possessive, cold, furious.
His fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"I'll destroy anyone who touches what's mine," he murmured, voice like ice cracking.
"You're mine, Yunah. Only mine."